Fire-alarm box.



FIRE ALARM BOX.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 24. l-9I 5.

Patented Oct. 12, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

COLUMBIA PLANOORAPM :0-. WASHINGTON, D. c.

A. MCYZDZIERZ.

FIRE ALARM BOX.

APPLICATIQN FILED JUNE 24,1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2- cliijlldzdzlkrz MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM WASHINGTON, D. c.

A. MGZDZIERZ.

FIRE ALARM BOX.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 24. 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

Fig.5.

OLIJMBIA PLANOGRAPH CCMWASHINOI'ON. D- c.

ALOYS iviozpzinnz, or SHELTON, oonnnc'rrcn'r;

FIRE-ALARM Box.

Specification of Letters Patent.

To all whom it may concern I Be it known that I, ALoYs Mdzozmnz, subject of the Emperor of Austria-Hungary, residing at Shelton, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have'lnvented certain new and useful Improvements in Fire-Alarm Boxes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in fire alarm boxes.

The primary object of this invention is the provision of automatically operated wrist-engaging mechanism simultaneous with the closing of the electrical connection for the alarm system.

A further ob'ect is to prevent the turning in of false fire alarms from the alarm boxes of the .system by providing at each box an automatically operated means for imprisoning the arm of the person actuating the.

alarm box mechanism. a

A still further object of-the device is to provide a fire alarm box with ahandoperated switch closing device positioned therein and being adapted upon the actuation thereof to automatically secure the arm of the person turning in the alarm and whereby the location as ,well as the actual existence of the fire can be readily ascertained by the officials of the department.

WVith these general objects in view and others that will appear as, the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings forming a part of this application and in which like-designating characters refer to corresponding parts throughout the several views, Figurel is an elevational view of a fire alarm box provided with the present device and having I the rear portion thereof removed. Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse sectional view thereof. Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional detail view of the switch throwing lever. Fig. 4' is an enlarged sectional detail view taken upon the plane of one of the locking bolts. Fig. 5 is a front elevation of the fire alarm box, and Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the looking mechanism for the wrist retaining d eyice.

Referring more in detail to the drawing,

Application filed June 24, 1915. Serial No. 36,098.

Patented Oct. 1915.

the alarm box 10 is provided having a usual form of door 111 for normally closing a hand-entranceopening 12 in the front wall 13 of the box, the said door being readily opened byany person desiring to send in a fire alarm after first unlocking the door'by means of the key 14 positioned in a casing 15 and having a breakable thin glass panel 16' in the front thereof. The alarm box is alsoprovided with a hinged rear door 17 and the circuit closing mechanism for the system as well as the automatically actuating arm engaging mechanism is inclosed within the said box.

A yoke plate 18 is provided with angle irons 19 secured in parallelism tothe opposite edges thereof. the said angle irons'being slidably' mounted within parallel ways" 20 substantiallyv U-shaped in cross section and secured to the inner side of the said frontwall 13 the said platehaving'a curvedarm engaging lower edge 21 positioned in, a plane inwardly of and parallel with the front wall opening 12. Compression springs 22 are connected between the lower ends of the said angle irons 19 and staples23 in the front wall 13 adjacent the loy'veredge thereof, the said springs tending to pull the yoke plate 21 downwardly for partially closing the front wall opening 12 and. imprisoning the hand of the operator within the opening and with the curved edge 21 of the plate insubstantial contacttherewith and spaced slightlv from the lower edge of the said entrance opening.

A locking bail wall 13 by means ofopposite brackets 25 and is providedwith opposite terminal teeth 26 in normal contact with depending racks 27 carried by the lower ends 28 of the plate 2 1 ispivoted to the box yoke 18. Leaf springs 29 are secured to the [thus imprison the hand of the, operator which has been inserted from thefront opening 12 for the purpose of turning in an alarm by means of the knob 32.

The two line wires 34 are arranged in electrical connection with terminal plates and said plates are adapted to be engaged by switch plates 36 depending from the afore-mentioned angle irons 19. angle irons 19 are electrically connected together at the top of the'yoke plate 18 by means of a metal connecting strip 37. By this arrangement it will be seen that whenever the bail 24 is tripped for releasing the teeth 26 and the yoke plate 18 moves downwardly, the plates 36 will complete the electrical connection betweent 1e terminal plates 35 of the fire alarm system.

A locking mechanism best illustrated in Fig. 6 of the drawing is arranged for releasably retaining the yoke plate in its lower position and in engagement with the hand of the operator. lhis mechanism consists of oppositely arranged latch bolts 38 in transverse openings 39 of the yoke plate 18,

while toothed plates 40 are carried by the box .wall 13 beneath the plate 18 and in the path of movement of the said bolts 38. An 7 angular releasing lever 41 has its opposite arms 42 threaded through eyes 43 at the outer ends of the bolts 38, while the said 30 lever 41 is pivoted to brackets 44 which are mounted upon the said plate 18. A belt leaf spring 45 is secured to the plate 18 and overlies the central U-shaped portion 46 of the said lever 41 thus normally depressing the lever in substantial contact with the plate 18 and with the bolts 38 engaging the teeth of the plates 40.

A releasing pintle 47 is journaled in the spring 45 and has an operating key 48 for turning the same, while a ward 49 projects from the pintle 47 and is adapted toride upon'the inclined edge 50 of the said lever extension 46 upon a turning of the pintle,

e a substantially vertical position of the ward engaging the said ward against the shoulder 51 at the upper end of the incline 50 and in which position'the extension 46 is substantially in contact with the plate 18 and with the bolts 38 in their locking positions.

From this detailed description of the device it will be at once evident that a person desiring to send in an alarm may readily unlock'and open the door 11 and thrust his hand through the front opening 12 and 55 pull inwardly upon the hand knob 32 thereby releasing the yoke plate 18. The springs 22 then force the said plate 18 downwardly closing the electrical circuit between the a line wire terminal plates 35 by means of the switch blades 36 and connecting strip 37 of the said plate 18. The lower position of the said plate 18. so contracts the front opening 12 as to prevent the withdrawal of the operators hand so that the authorized ofiicial of the fire department when answer- The said ing the alarm will find the operator thereof at the box and may readily ascertain the location and existence of the fire. This oilicial may then open the rear door 17 of the box and by turning the key 48 to position the ward 49 transversely of the plate 18 in the position as illustrated in Fig. (3, the lever 41 will be tilted away from the said plate 18 and the locking bolts 38 will be re leased from the toothed plates 40. It will be understood that the oflicer may then force the plate 18 upwardly and the bail teeth 26 will engage the racks 27 for retaining the yoke plate 18 in its retracted elevated posi tion. The key 48 maybe then returned for allowing the lever 41 to approach the plate 18 which will again place the bolts 38 in their locking position. The bolts 38 will ratchet over the plates 40 during the'downward movement of the yoke plate 18 and will retain the yoke plate against any return movement until the said bolts are released in the manner hereinbefore set forth.

lVhile the form of the invention herein shown and described is what is believed to be the preferred embodiment thereof, it is nevertheless to be understood that minor changesn ay be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention asset forth in the claims.

\Vhat I claim as new is:

V 1. A device of the class described comprising in combination with afire alarm box having a hand-entrance opening in the front wall thereof, a yoke plate sildably positioned within the said box transversely of the said opening, resilient actuating means for the said plate, engaging means for the said plate, a trip leverfor the said engaging means positioned beneath the said opening, terminal contact plates carried interiorly of the box, fire alarm system circuit wires electrically connected to the said contact plates, switch blades connected to the said yoke plate and having paths of movement in the same plane as the said contact plates, and electrical connections between the said switch blades.

2. A device of the class described c0mpris ing in combination with a fire alarm box having a hand-entrance opening in the front wall thereof, a yoke plate slidably positioned within the said box transversely of the said opening, resilient actuating means for the said plate, engaging means for the said plate, a trip lever for the said engaging means positioned beneath the said opening, locking bolts for the said yoke plate, resilient projecting means for the said bolts, and key operated releasing means for the said bolts, terminal contact plates carried interiorly of the box, fire alarm system circuit wires electrically connected to the said contact plates, switch blades connected to the said yoke plate and having paths of movement in the same planes as the said contact plates, and electrical connections between the said switch blades.

3. A device of the class described compris-. ing a fire alarm box having a hand-opening in the front wall thereof, parallel guides positioned at opposite sides of the said opening, angle irons longitudinally positioned within the said guides, a yoke plate connecting the said angle irons and having a lower curved edge'lyingadjacent the said opening, resilient connections between the lower ends of the said angle irons and the lower portion of the said box, depending toothed racks carried by the said yoke plate, a bail having terminal teeth in normal resilient engagement with the said racks, a pivoted lever in operative engagement with the said bail, and an operating hand knob upon the said bail positioned within the box directly beneath the said opening.

4. A device of the class described comprising a fire alarm box having a hand-opening in the front wall thereof, parallel guides positioned at opposite sides of the said opening, angle irons longitudinally positioned within the said guides, a yoke plate connecting the said angle irons and having a lower curved edge lying adjacent the said opening, resilient connections between the lower ends of thesaid angle irons and the lower portion of the said box, depending toothed racks carried by the said yoke plate, a bail having terminal teeth in normal resilient engagement with the said racks, a pivoted lever in operative engagement with the said bail, an operating hand knob upon the said bail positioned within the box directly beneath the said opening, switch blades projecting from the said angle irons, an electrical connecting switch between the said angle irons, terminal plates positioned within the paths of movement of the said switch blades, and fire alarm system circuit wires attached to the said ter-' in the said guides, a yoke plate connecting the said angle irons and having a lower curved edge lying adjacent the said opening, resilient connections between the lower ends of the said angle irons and the lower portion of the said box, depending toothed racks carried by the said yoke plate, a bail having terminal teeth in normal resilient engagement with the said racks, a pivoted lever in operative engagement with the said bail, an operating hand knob upon the said bail po sitioned within the box directly beneath the said opening, switch blades projecting from the said angle irons, an electrical connecting switch between the said angle irons, terminal plates positioned within the paths of movements of the said switch blades, and fire alarm system circuit wires attached to the said terminal plates, an angular lever pivoted to the said yoke plate, toothed plates rigidly mounted beneath the said yoke plate,

locking bolts transversely shiftable through the said yoke plate and having-paths of movement in the same plane as the said toothed plates, the said bolts being operatively connected between the said angular lever, a curved retaining spring for the said angular lever having a central extension provided with an inclined edge, a shifting key pintle for the said angular lever jour-- naled in the said curved spring and aprojecting ward upon the said pintle operatively positioned in contact with the said extension edge.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

ALOYS MCZDZIERZ.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

